


this is brave, this is bruised, this is who i'm meant to be

by SJAandDWfan



Category: Coronation Street
Genre: F/F, Some Fluff, Some angst, basically it's 5k words of how i want things to play out, it won't happen this way but that's what fanfic is for right, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 22:05:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13350459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJAandDWfan/pseuds/SJAandDWfan
Summary: Seeing Kate so upset and guilty that she had to disappear halfway down the country has pushed Rana into realising there’s only one right way for this situation to play out.Step one: Finally come clean to Zeedan.Step two: Come out to her family.Step three: Convince Kate to come back to Weatherfield.Step four: Never let her go.





	this is brave, this is bruised, this is who i'm meant to be

**Author's Note:**

> so, this is actually the first time i've written for a soap couple, but kate and rana have sort of taken over my life?
> 
> title from "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman (i'm a little obsessed with the music from this film for kana - first the video edit to Rewrite the Stars and now this lmao)
> 
> also, i'm really not used to writing smut, so it's not too heavy here
> 
> enjoy!

Kate’s been gone for nearly a week now, and Rana kind of feels like she’s going insane without her. But she also feels a strange sense of clarity that she didn’t have before. Seeing Kate so upset and guilty that she had to disappear halfway down the country has pushed Rana into realising there’s only one right way for this situation to play out.

Step one: Finally come clean to Zeedan.

Step two: Come out to her family.

Step three: Convince Kate to come back to Weatherfield.

Step four: Never let her go.

She lists them in her head constantly; when she wakes up, when she goes to work, when she gets home, when she goes to sleep. She knows it’s something she has to do – not just for Kate, but for herself too. Zeedan has surely noticed something’s not right, and hasn’t been for a while – Rana leaves a deliberate space in between them whenever she can, and when they go to bed she immediately says goodnight and rolls away from him.

She hates what she’s done to him, she honestly has, but she doesn’t regret it. She knows there’s going to be a huge shitstorm as soon as she tells Zeedan, and she knows she deserves it, but loving Kate makes it worth it. Even if she and Kate are truly over (and something within Rana knows they’ll never really be over), it was worth it.

So Rana tells Zeedan everything.

One afternoon, eight days after Kate’s left for Devon, Rana sits him down and tells him she’s leaving him, that she’s been having an affair, and that she’s fallen in love with Kate.

He’s angry, just like she expected him to be. He shouts, he cries, he paces around the room like he’s going to start punching the walls, and through it all Rana just sits there. She feels awful for what she’s putting him through, but there’s almost a strange weight being lifted off her shoulders, and she knows she’s doing the right thing, even if it’s taken her far too long to do it.

Unsurprisingly, Zeedan kicks her out, but Rana’s prepared for this. She takes her bags that she’d packed that morning, and goes to her parents’ house. She might as well get the most difficult stuff out the way all at once. Besides, she wants to come out to her parents on her own terms, before they hear about the affair through someone else.

Before she knocks on the front door to her parents’ house, Rana pulls out her phone and sends a text to Kate.

_I told him._

Step one: Complete.

*****

Coming out to her parents goes about as well as Rana had expected.

They don’t understand, just as she’d predicted. Zeedan’s a good man, they say, why would you break his heart this way? Why would you be interested in a woman? You like men, they say, women don’t like other women in that way.

Rana stands up for herself this time, gritting her teeth and feeling her heart jackhammer against her chest as she tells them that this is real, that she doesn’t know what exactly she identifies as but she’s sure of one thing and that thing is her love for Kate.

Rana essentially ends up being disowned, and it upsets her that this isn’t a surprise to her. She doesn’t let the tears fall until she’s far enough away to cry on her own, and when she is, she breaks down. So many emotions are coursing through her; terror, guilt, sadness, relief – all of them rearing their heads simultaneously and with such intensity it makes her head spin.

She ends up sat on a bench at the Red Rec, and that’s how Imran finds her. She doesn’t realise it’s gone dark now, and a chill has set in. Imran doesn’t say anything; he just takes off his coat and wraps it around Rana’s shoulders before sitting next to her on the bench. He opens his arms, and Rana falls into the embrace, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as her brother holds her.

Step two: Complete.

*****

The next few days are all kinds of awful.

Rana stays with Imran at a hotel; she’s not welcome at the Nazirs’ and everyone in Weatherfield knows about the affair by now so she doubts she has many friends left anyway. She uses the time to recover from the whole ordeal, and she comes out of it stronger and missing Kate even more.

She hasn’t replied to the text Rana sent, and she’s not sure if she should send another one or leave it. All she wants is to see Kate’s face again, and to tell her what she means to her. That she loves her more than she’s ever loved anyone, and that she would do anything to make her happy.

Which, apparently, had included her encouraging Sophie to pursue Kate in a moment of self-sacrifice she wishes she hadn’t indulged in. Rana’s phone pings with a text, and the small amount of hope she has vanishes as she sees it’s from Sophie.

_I get what you’re going through. If you need someone to talk to about stuff, I’m here._

Rana kind of wants to cry again, because Sophie has every right to judge her, to hate her, but she doesn’t. Instead, she’s reaching out and offering her support to Rana, and she honestly feels like she doesn’t deserve it.

She ventures back onto the street the next day, knowing she can’t hide away forever. People stare, and whisper behind her back, and Rana hates it. She wishes they would say it to her face instead. She’s good at arguing.

She runs into Michelle, who gives her a sympathetic look and wraps her up in a hug that brings a lump to Rana’s throat. She clings to Michelle’s coat like a child, fighting back the tears. She knows she’s getting what she deserves, but she wishes Kate was here too. At least then they’d be going through it together. Instead, Kate is in Devon, probably getting a thousand angry texts and phone calls about her part in the affair.

She hears a few comments about how Kate probably turned her gay, and how she must’ve forced Rana into the affair, and it makes her angrier than she can ever remember being. Because attacking her is one thing, but attacking Kate – the sweetest person Rana knows, who had been so overcome with guilt she’d taken herself out of the equation, breaking both of their hearts in the process – is something Rana can’t stand to hear.

Soon enough, the day of Luke’s funeral comes.

Rana’s invitation hasn’t been revoked, and she wants to pay her respects, so she turns up and tries to ignore Alya and Zeedan’s twin glares. But Rana had been friends with Luke too, even though things had gotten strained near the end, and she needs to be here today. Needs to say goodbye properly.

She’s having a quiet moment by herself after the funeral, enjoying being outside while everyone else has moved onto the wake. She’s standing by Luke’s grave, saying her final words to him before turning around to leave the cemetery.

That’s when she sees Kate.

Rana feels all the air leave her lungs in a rush, and her heart rate quickens like it always does when Kate’s near. Their eyes meet, and Rana’s heart aches with how much she’s missed her. Kate’s got her hands in the pockets of her black coat, bundled up against the late January chill, and she rocks onto her toes and back onto her heels awkwardly even as her face softens when Rana gives her the barest hint of a smile.

“Hi,” Kate says, and Rana can’t not be near her anymore. She takes three long strides and wraps her arms around Kate’s waist, pulling her into a tight hug. Kate’s arms rest around her shoulders, one of her hands in Rana’s hair as she buries her face in the crook of Rana’s neck, breathing her in.

“I missed you,” Rana whispers, and she feels Kate’s arms squeeze tighter.

“I missed you too.”

There’s so much more Rana wants to say. She wants to ask Kate if she’s back for good. She wants to beg Kate never to go away again. She wants to tell Kate just how in love with her she is.

Instead, what comes out of her mouth is: “Did you get my message?”

She feels Kate nod against her shoulder. “I did. I’m so proud of you, Rana.”

She doesn’t have to ask why Kate hadn’t responded. Somehow, she knows. Knows that Kate needed the time on her own, without Rana making things complicated. She’d needed to clear her head before she came back, and Rana sees that the Kate with her now is calmer and more assured than the Kate that left for Devon in tears just a couple of weeks ago.

“I told my parents, too.”

Kate pulls back from the hug to look at her in surprise. “How did it go?”

Rana swallows. “Not well,” she says, and Kate’s eyes soften impossibly. “Everyone hates us.”

“Not everyone,” Kate says gently. “Carla’s here for us, and Michelle. I’m sure there’s others, too. Half of Weatherfield’s had an affair at one point, it’s not like most of them can judge too harshly.”

Rana feels herself wanting to laugh for the first time since Luke died. Kate has got a point, after all. She wants to kiss her, but she’s not quite sure where they stand right now, so she settles on recommitting Kate’s face to memory, breathing in the smell of her perfume and feeling her body relax as she does so.

Her happiness is short-lived, however, as she spots Zeedan over Kate’s shoulder, marching towards them. He looks pissed. Kate notices the change in Rana’s expression and turns around, subtly stepping in front of Rana as Zeedan approaches.

Zeedan doesn’t manage to get a word out before Kate beats him to it.

“Not here,” she says quietly, and Zeedan’s eyes go to the new headstone where their friend is buried. He tightens his jaw, but nods, and the three of them make their way to a secluded corner of the cemetery beneath a sprawling tree.

It’s then that Zeedan starts on Kate.

“How could you do this to me?” He demands. “You’re meant to be my mate, and you think it’s okay to go stealing my wife?”

“First of all, I didn’t ‘steal’ Rana,” Kate says. “She’s a person, not a possession. And I truly am sorry, Zeedan. Going behind your back was wrong of us.”

“Yeah, too right it was!” Zeedan raises his voice, and Rana flinches.

She feels Kate’s hand brush against hers reassuringly, and she knows she can’t let Kate take any more blame for this mess.

“Kate wanted me to tell you,” Rana speaks up to Zeedan for the first time since he kicked her out, and his head snaps to her in disbelief. “She always said how it wasn’t fair to you, how you’d done nothing wrong. I was just too scared to tell you.”

She knows Kate’s looking at her, but Rana wills herself to keep staring Zeedan down.

“You have every right to be upset,” she tells him, “but I want you to know that Kate hated lying to you; we both did.”

“I suppose the fact that you felt bad makes up for you sleeping with my wife then?” Zeedan turns back to Kate incredulously.

“Of course not,” Kate snaps. “And we never slept—"

“I don’t want to hear—"

“I love her!” Kate draws herself to her full height, staring up at Zeedan. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with Rana, but I did. I would do anything for her, and I really am sorry for betraying you, but I’m not sorry for how I feel about her.”

For a moment, Rana thinks Zeedan is going to snap and punch her, but he doesn’t. Instead, the fight leaves his body in a rush of air, and he turns to look at Rana.

“I’m filing for divorce,” he tells her, defeat in his voice, and Rana can only nod.

He walks away then, with one last disappointed look at Rana, and leaves them alone.

“Are you okay?” Kate asks, taking her hand properly and turning to look at her.

“Am _I_ okay?” Rana doesn’t know whether she wants to laugh or cry. She brings a hand up to cup Kate’s cheek. “You were the one he was having a go at.”

Kate smiles sadly. “Yeah, but I know you love him.”

“Loved,” Rana corrects. “And never like I love you.”

“So what happens now?” Kate asks.

“I don’t know.”

Kate takes a deep breath. “Seeing how many people we’ve hurt, I just… can we try just being friends, at least for the time being?”

It hurts a bit (quite a lot actually), but Rana’s just so glad to have Kate back in her life again. She nods, knowing it’s probably what’s best for them right now.

“If it’s meant to be,” she says.

“It’ll be,” Kate finishes, leaning into Rana’s touch.

“You’ll stay in Weatherfield?” Rana asks, and Kate nods.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

It feels a bit like a promise (quite a lot actually), and it’s that promise that makes Rana think that one day soon, they can do this for real.

But, in the meantime…

Step three: Complete.

*****

It’s even harder than Rana expects, being ‘just friends’ with Kate, because one thing she’d truly realised during Kate’s absence is how she’s so in love with her that it hurts sometimes. Because when Kate does something that’s just so _her_ , like bringing Rana her favourite food without being asked, or comforting her without laughing when she jumps at a thunderstorm happening on the documentary they’re watching, or smiling so big that her nose scrunches adorably, Rana can’t help but want to kiss her.

She wants to do other things, too. Other, less innocent things – Kate hadn’t been lying when she’d told Zeedan they’d not slept together. Paranoid about being discovered, they’d never let things progress further than they had in the back of the food van when Luke had found them. But Rana wants to. God, does she want to.

Still, they’ve set up certain boundaries that Rana knows she can’t cross yet. She knows she has to adapt to being single, to being her own person without managing a relationship on top of that. She loves Kate, and she knows Kate loves her too, but this is the way it has to be.

Sophie doesn’t pursue Kate after all. The girl’s not stupid, she knows she hasn’t got a chance. Rana wants to feel bad for her; Sophie hadn’t known about them when she’d kissed Kate after their night out together, but honestly she’s more relieved than anything else. It’s a little bit awkward, but Sophie had meant what she’d said about being there for Rana, and sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone other than Kate about coming out. Rana’s heard about Sophie’s parents, and their initial struggle to accept their daughter’s lesbianism – even if Sally Webster is now at the head of the pride parade. Her own parents haven’t reached out to her yet, and maybe they won’t. But there’s time for them to come around, if they’re so inclined. Honestly, they’re not where Rana’s focusing most of her energy.

As it turns out, getting a divorce from Zeedan isn’t that simple. They’ve only been legally married for two months under the English Law, so they draw up a separation agreement for the time being, promising to start the divorce proceedings as soon as they pass the requirement of a year of marriage.

It upsets Rana that she can’t have a legal divorce sooner; all she wants is to be free from the marriage, and she knows Zeedan feels the same way. Kate helps her through it, cuddled up on the sofa in the flat Imran and Rana have rented for the time being and stroking Rana’s hair as she cries.

Rana cries herself out eventually, and after a couple of months she stops feeling so guilty every time she sees Zeedan or Alya or Yasmeen on the street. None of them are really speaking to her or Kate, but they’re not harassing them either, so Rana counts it as a win.

It’s getting more and more difficult to keep her hands to herself where Kate is concerned, though. They’ve been practically inseparable since Kate’s return, and Rana knows their hugs linger too long to be ‘just friends’, and that Kate hasn’t shown the slightest bit of interest in any of the women that flirt with her, and that they spend more evenings pressed too close together on the sofa in one of their flats than not; Kate having since moved into her dad’s flat once he’d gone to Spain with Jenny.

Rana feels as if the tension building between them – the tension that makes it apparent that something’s going to happen between them, they’re just not sure how or when – is reaching bursting point; and the time will come when they need to relieve the pressure. But she doesn’t want to make a move before she’s sure they’re both ready.

It’s a regular Friday evening when it happens.

They order food in, sat on the floor of Kate’s living room because Johnny has a strict ‘no pizza grease on the sofa’ rule he’s enforcing all the way from Spain, and laughing at some sitcom rerun playing on the television. Kate’s got her hair up in a ponytail, her face clean of makeup for the day, in a t-shirt and sweatpants, and Rana can’t stop staring at her.

She honestly has no idea how she didn’t realise her feelings for Kate as soon as she’d started spending time with her over a year ago, because she’s honestly the most beautiful person Rana has ever met, both inside and out. Rana’s eyes trace Kate’s profile; her eyes, nose, the outline of her lips, leading down her neck to muscled but lithe shoulders. She knows Kate’s ridiculously strong; she’s seen her arms, knows that she works out, but she _needs_ to find out exactly what Kate’s hiding under her clothes. Her mouth feels dry.

She doesn’t realise Kate’s smirking until she speaks.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Kate’s tone is playful, and honestly it’s not the first time she’s caught Rana staring in the last couple of months. To be fair, Rana’s seen Kate gazing at her more than a few times, too.

“I already have a whole album on my phone,” she replies, and Kate turns to look at her with a grin. It’s true; Rana does have an album of photos dedicated to Kate. It’s mostly candid shots, with some posed pictures and a lot of selfies of the two of them. Kate always requests that Rana send her those ones so she can have them on her phone too. Rana’s pretty sure one of the pictures is Kate’s lockscreen.

“Want to take another?” Kate asks, pulling a ridiculous model-esque pouty face as Rana pulls her phone out and opens up her camera app.

Rana gets Kate in frame, feeling a rush of indescribable emotion as Kate poses like she’s on a runway, except for the fact that she’s sitting on the floor in her pyjamas with a slice of pizza in her hand. She knows in that moment that Kate is it for her. She’s the one.

“I love you,” she says softly, taking a picture just as Kate’s expression changes. Rana puts her phone down, seeing Kate look at her with shining eyes. Neither of them have said it since the day at the cemetery, although Rana’s pretty sure neither of them have ever stopped feeling it. Rana sits there, half-facing her, silent as Kate wordlessly drops the slice of pizza back into the box and shifts towards her on her knees.

Rana meets her halfway, kissing her with all the pent-up emotion she’s been feeling since Kate got into that taxi not long after New Year’s. Kate’s hands are shaking when she cups Rana’s face, and a little bit greasy from the food, but Rana couldn’t care less, slipping her tongue into Kate’s mouth and shivering at the moan she draws from Kate in response. She’s really missed this more than anything, and it’s all the confirmation she needs; to know that she never wants to kiss anyone else but Kate for the rest of her life.

That scares her a bit, but not as much as she thought it would. Her hands bunch the material of Kate’s shirt as she tries to get even closer, and she whines into her mouth when Kate sucks hard on her bottom lip. Kate breaks away to kiss a path down Rana’s neck, and Rana draws in a ragged breath.

“Kate,” she breathes desperately, slipping her hands under the back of Kate’s shirt as she feels her bite gently at her pulse point.

She sinks fully onto the floor, pulling Kate on top of her so that her weight rests comfortably on her. Their legs tangle as they lie down, and Rana gasps as she feels Kate’s thigh pressed between her own. Suddenly she feels like she’s on fire, and she needs Kate everywhere.

It’s almost as if Kate is stoking the fire and putting it out at the same time. It’s too much and not enough, and Rana grabs at her ass and rolls her own hips as best she can. She feels Kate exhale roughly against her neck at the action, and Rana drags her head up so she can claim Kate’s lips again in a bruising kiss.

Rana feels like a teenager, grinding against Kate fully-clothed on the floor surrounded by empty takeaway boxes, and it’s not at all how she pictured their first time together happening, but she really doesn’t care. She thinks that maybe if she doesn’t have Kate right this second then she might actually die.

“Bedroom,” Kate manages in between kisses, waiting for Rana’s nod before pushing herself off Rana and onto her feet. She holds out her hand and Rana takes it, letting Kate pull her to her feet before she laces their fingers together. Kate leads her to the bedroom, and as soon as they’re through the door Rana’s tugging at the hem of her shirt.

Kate takes the hint and lifts her arms above her head so Rana can pull the shirt off, throwing it to the floor as she takes in the sight of Kate’s abs. She’s felt them through her shirt, but she’s never gotten more than a glimpse of them before. Kate had been shirtless in the van all those months ago, but it had been so dark that Rana hadn’t been able to get a good look at Kate’s body. She stares hungrily and unabashedly, tracing the lines of her stomach reverently, and Kate swallows audibly.

Rana unbuttons her own shirt, then, locking eyes with Kate as she tosses the garment somewhere behind her. Kate’s eyes roam, smiling softly even as she steps closer and kisses Rana again. When they part, Kate’s eyes are shining again. Her hand moves to the clasp of Rana’s bra and she pauses.

“Can I?”

“Please,” Rana nods breathlessly, and Kate flicks the clasp undone with ease, tugging the shoulder straps down and pulling the bra away from her chest. Rana’s always been confident in her appearance, but she has to fight the urge to cover herself, because this feels different. This feels vulnerable.

“You’re so beautiful,” Kate breathes, even as Rana’s hands go to her bra. She waits for Kate’s nod, and then removes the garment from Kate’s torso with shaking hands. Immediately, she wants to touch; and yes, she’s touched through the barrier of clothing before, but bare skin is another matter entirely.

Kate moans as Rana explores with her hands, connecting their lips in a searing kiss. She can feel the energy radiating off Kate; the hunger and the relief combined. She knows because it’s exactly the same for her. She’d never stopped wanting Kate, and she’s sure she never will. Rana can only hope Kate feels the same.

Rana’s never really believed in the concept of soulmates before, but as Kate guides her backwards until she’s lying on the bed with Kate above her, she thinks maybe she’d been wrong. Kate waits for Rana to nod her consent before she unbuttons her jeans and works them down Rana’s legs, until the only thing covering her is the fabric of her underwear.

Kate retreats for a moment, and Rana has a split-second of concern before she realises that Kate’s just standing up to take off her sweatpants, tossing them aside as she crawls up the length of Rana’s body until they’re pressed together.

There’s so much contact that Rana feels like she could pass out at any minute, but she makes sure to take advantage of all the bare skin in front of her. Kate kisses her hungrily as Rana’s hands run the length of her back, never stopping for too long in one place.

Kate kisses her lips, her cheek, her jaw, her neck, scraping her teeth over Rana’s collarbone as she moves impossibly slowly down. She makes sure to give her chest plenty of attention, leaving Rana breathless as she licks down her sternum. That’s when Rana realises what Kate’s intention is, and she’s never been more turned on in her life. Nobody has ever… and Kate straightaway wants to…

Kate stops when her lips reach the band of Rana’s underwear, and she flicks her gaze up to meet Rana’s.

“Do you want me to—”

“Yes,” Rana cuts her off, and Kate grins slyly at her. “Please.”

Kate peels away her underwear, leaving Rana completely bare. Kate looks up at her again, watching Rana watching her, and she smiles softly.

“I love you,” she whispers, and Rana has to fight back against the tears that once again threaten to fall.

Rana wants to keep watching, but at the first touch of Kate’s tongue against her, her head falls back against the pillows. She’d be embarrassed by the noises she’s making if it wasn’t Kate who was drawing them from her, but she still bites down on her own hand as Kate builds her higher and higher.

It’s really not long at all before Rana’s entire body tenses, and she releases a strangled gasp that sounds a bit like Kate’s name. Kate works her through the aftershocks, and when the tension leaves Rana’s body, Kate rests her chin on her thigh and pushes some hair that’s come loose behind her ear.

“Was that—”

“If you ask me if that was okay,” Rana laughs breathlessly. “I’m kicking you out of this bed. It was incredible, Kate.”

She brings Kate back up the side of her body to eye-level and kisses her reverently, tasting herself on Kate’s tongue and finding that she really doesn’t mind it at all. As she comes back to herself, the nerves start to set in. Kate’s far more experienced with women than she is, and what if she’s no good at it? What if she can’t make Kate come?

“Rana,” Kate says gently as she breaks the kiss and shifts onto her back, picking up on Rana’s turmoil. “I promise you’ll be amazing. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“But what if I can’t—”

Kate takes hold of her wrist then, and guides it to the edge of her underwear, encouraging Rana to dip her hand beneath the fabric. She does, and her mouth falls open at the slickness she finds. She looks at Kate, who’s breathing heavily as Rana’s fingers explore.

“Feel that?” Kate pants, and Rana nods dumbly. “That’s – that’s what you do to me, okay?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I know it’s going to be magic, because it’s with you,” Kate manages to get out as Rana’s thumb brushes over where she’s most sensitive.

It’s all the encouragement she needs, and when she eases two fingers inside and sees the way Kate’s eyes fall shut as she grips onto Rana’s forearm, begging her to keep going, she thinks that maybe she won’t have a problem after all.

Kate is very responsive, both physically and verbally, and it gives Rana a lot of confidence that she’s doing something right. Before long, Kate tightens around her, and Rana watches in awe as she comes with a whine, her eyes open again as she meets Rana’s gaze, and she knows she’ll never tire of that sight for as long as she lives.

She gently withdraws her fingers once it’s over, once the muscles in Kate’s thighs have stopped shaking, and she’s overcome with the urge to taste her like Kate had done. She sucks her fingers clean, watching Kate’s eyes widen at the action, and decides there and then that she’s going to go down on Kate at the next opportunity.

“Rana, that was—” Kate cuts herself off. “Told you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rana grins, settling next to Kate and sighing happily as Kate’s arms come to wrap around her shoulders. She slings an arm across Kate’s stomach. “I still think I’m in need of more practice.”

“That can definitely be arranged,” Kate laughs. She pauses, and gulps before she speaks again. “If you want me, I’m yours.”

“And if I want you forever?” Rana asks quietly, tracing patterns on Kate’s ribcage.

“Then I’m yours forever,” Kate replies simply, and Rana looks up to see tears forming in Kate’s eyes as she looks at Rana with such happiness that it makes her ache.

“Me too,” Rana says, leaning up to kiss her. It’s sweet and soft, nothing like the other kisses they’ve shared tonight, and it feels like a promise. Like there’s a definite future for them, and like they’re not going to make the mistake of letting each other go again.

It feels like…

Step four: Complete.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! if you feel inclined to leave kudos or a comment, stuff like that actually makes my day. 
> 
> also my tumblr is ilovemyships - if you want to scream with me about these two please do!!


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